BAD MAIN ROADS

Evening Post, Volume CVIII, Issue 55, 2 September 1924, Page 7

BAD MAIN ROADS

: -.—. «,\ ■■„-. NEAR WELLINGTON

MOTORISTS COMPLAIN

PROPOSED PETITION TO

GOVERNMENT.

The t principalj matter "before the monthly meeting of the Wellington Automobile Club -'Executive yesterday afternoon, Mr. A. F. Toogood -presiding, was the state of the main north road out of Wellington from Johnsonvilje to Pahautanui. .'.-/. .

The matter first came up in' a letter from Mrf"H.: W. Lawrence, from Jolmsonville, who wrote as follows:—

"I - should be glad if your executive could do anything'to" help" motor owners along this district. The road from Johnson ville to Pahautanui is^a positive disgrace to any. civilised community; in h\ct; motorists using the section ■ from {the Piebald Hill to Parematu. virtually take their lives in their ,hands when they go over that road. ' The pot-holes are beyond belief.- Now the Makara Council have opened up a mud quarry, and they ate carrying mud to. put on the road from Piebald Hill northwards. The road here .is narrow (just Where the motorlorry went over .the bank a few months ago), and the mud has made ruts eight inches _to 'a foot deep, and it is , ; quite ; impossible to get a car free to pass 'another without great risk. In fact, it is quite! a usual thing to see the council* motor tractors themselves bogged in the mud they are carrying, on to the roads. ■ "'Last Saturday I saw a car approaching fr.dm the north, driven-by Mr. :," just the other side of- the council's' mud quarry, so I stopped my car at the quarry to let him pass safely. He could not free his car of the deep mud ruts and nearly ran me down, but just at tha last moment his car left the ruts and continued at right; angles across the road, and .it was just sheer luck that my-car was not smashed up, and his cat.and'passengers over the bank and down into the creek. This road is a public scandal,, and what will, it be 'when the big lorries are on the road again in October? Yet we-motorists in this district are fo be taxed under the Hutt road extension scheme to provide funds for the Wellington city, Petone, and Eastbourne roads."

: Several ■ members corroborated the statements made by Mr. Lawrence, and thu secretary (Mr. H. J. Stott) -'stated that the attention of the Makara County Council had been drawn to the state of the road, but no reply so far had come to hand. ■..-..-■■. ■ . ■ *

IN A V SHOCKING STATE.

At-a. later stage of the meeting a re-' port by the Roads. Committee of the club made further referenec to the state of'the West Coast road 'and the unfortunate ■; position of . -Wellington motorists as follows:—''This road is now.in a shocking state,' and in view of the absence of'any schemes of road improve-ment-,by'the Hutt1 and Makarar Countie.vunder v tlio Highways Act, Welling-.: ton city and district motor owners will, be deprived of any return for the very large sums they have paid, in tire tax for road improvement purposes. The tire tax. for. main highways came into operation on Ist.January, 1922, and during, the first two years, out of £248,037 collected ■•■ in the Dominion, no- less than £105,549 was collected at Wellington, and, a further considerable amount during the present year. .Failing schemes by the Hutt and Makara 'Counties, little/or nothing of the large sum paid by Wellington motorists will be 'available 'toe expenditure within'4Q miles of Wellington, and a very grave injustice will ■ be"perpetrated.'".;■ ' '• "Your committee .recommends that a petition be prepared and circulated,,1 praying that the motor tax money aP-I ready collected from Wellington motor | vehicle owners may be forthwith.expended; on equitable terms in the improvement of. the roads in the 'vicinity,-. as was the obvious intention of the law, and that the Government,be requested to exercise such compulsory powers as exist to have the main roads' from Wellington at-onco put inproi^er order to carry the traffic, or if such existing provisions, of the, law are insufficient, that the law be amended as/ may be neces-l ,sary to prevent thecoi/tinuance' of this injustice^ and that failing such remedy the, Government be asked to direct that further motor taxes be not collected in Wellington until means be found for expending a reasonable proportion of ths money already collected in improvins thomain roads from Wellington - po£ tions of : which are fast approaching' a completely impassable state." . After some discussion it was unanimously agreed; to adopt the proposal to prepare, a petition to Government on the lines suggested, and if possible to.obtain the signature of eve"ry motor i vehicle owner in the district to it The text of .the petition is to" be submitted to the club s solicitor for revision1 and a sub-committee of five was set "up to make arrangements for a complete canvass .of the city and district for -signa.tures. It, was further decided to "■ in- ' vite all club members who are -willing to assist in\tlie canvass to send in their names to-the. secretary. ; .